In a Land Far, Far Away
by la lisboa
Summary: In a land far, far away, the Charmings got to be a family. Snow taught Emma how to walk, talk, and dress for her first ball. Charming played hide and seek with her around the castle and somehow always found her. In a land without a curse, these would have been their lives. Warning: Charming family feels ahead. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer: **Nothing you recognize belongs to me!

**A/N:** I've had this idea in my head for awhile now and finally got a chance to write it. It's based on what Snow says to Emma when they visit the castle in 2x03. SO MANY FEELS FOR THAT EPISODE. Here's me, feeling some more.

Thanks to Melissa for betaing. Told you I could write fluff.

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_i. _

_This room. It was your nursery. This is the life I wanted you to have._

Shelves full of books and chests overflowing with toys. A rocking horse in the corner, plastic eyes looking serenely at the baby as she sleeps, her tiny thumb in her mouth and her fingers curled into a fist. She doesn't wake as Snow gently pulls the knitted blanket higher up her daughter's chest, her fingers lingering over the name stitched in purple.

As she tiptoes from the room, she sees Charming watching her from the doorway. He catches her eye and smirks, knowing that she is never able to stay away from their daughter for long. He has often teased her about this habit, this compulsive need to check on her daughter in the middle of the night, but she knows he's just as protective. She's caught him more than once beside their daughter's crib murmuring words she can't hear from the doorway, but she can guess what they are. They're the same ones she whispers when she has the chance.

_You are safe. You are loved._

Tonight Charming presses his finger to his lips and turns her around so they're looking at the crib together. Snow leans back into his chest and he snakes his arm around her, folding her into his embrace. They become one, sinking into each other. She tries not to think about how close they came to losing this.

This. Their family. This is everything.

She never knew she could be a mother until she was one. Now she can't imagine what her life would be like without Emma.

She scans the room, thinking back on all the late nights with Geppetto designing the room. It was her daughter's nursery. It had to be perfect.

This is where her daughter's life begins.

_ii. _

_I was going to teach you how to walk in here. How to talk._

Snow can't stop grinning as her daughter tries once more to push herself to her feet. It's well past the eighth attempt now and Emma has yet to make it more than one step before plunking back down. Nothing's deterred her, and she keeps getting back up. Snow wouldn't have expected anything less.

"Come on, Emma. Come to Daddy."

Snow rolls her eyes and shakes the teddy bear. "She doesn't understand 'Daddy' yet," she tells Charming. He's sitting at the opposite side of the room, arms outstretched, trying to coax Emma to take her first steps toward him. "Come on, Emma. Come to the teddy bear."

"Don't tell her that," Charming advises. "She'll never know who you are."

"She already knows who I am. Right, Emma? Come to Mommy."

Emma looks at her, bright eyes wide. Her mouth opens and Snow gasps, holding her breath in anticipation. She watches as Emma's lips form the sound, waiting any minute for her to say it, her first real word –

But Emma only smiles and sits back down. Snow laughs while Charming groans.

"Don't worry, Charming," Snow says lightly. "The castle wasn't built in a day."

Suddenly Charming gets to his feet and makes a beeline for Emma. "I'm going to get you!" he warns.

Emma shrieks, but doesn't move. Instead she raises her hands in the air expectedly. Charming scoops her into his arms, twirling her around. He takes her hand and kisses it. "Blow a kiss to Mommy." He shows her how, pressing his hand to his mouth and sending a kiss toward Snow.

It brings tears to her eyes when Emma copies him.

_iii._

_How to dress for your first ball._

When she realizes that even the smallest size is too big for Emma, Snow wonders if five is too young to wear a gown.

She's done the best she can with the alterations, and probably no one except her will notice that there's slightly too much fabric on the sides. Emma hasn't noticed. She's too busy being ecstatic.

"Can you do the braids again?" Emma asks. She's already laid out her hair things and has been eagerly waiting for Snow to arrange her hair.

"Which braids?" Snow responds, though she can guess. Emma's tried to do the braids herself more than once already. Snow should have expected nothing less. She was the same way when she was Emma's age, always playing with her hair. She picks up the brush and begins combing through Emma's long golden hair.

Emma only fidgets a little as Snow fastens the braids in place. "Almost done," she promises.

"You're hurting me," Emma protests.

"There." Snow steps back and admires the masterpiece. She brings Emma over to the mirror. "What do you think?"

Emma beams and twirls around in her new dress. "I can't believe I'm going to my first ball," she gushes. "When do I get to put on my gloves?"

"You don't have to put them on just yet," Snow tells her. "You can put them on when we get out of the carriage at Ella and Thomas's castle."

Emma stops twirling and studies herself in the mirror. "What about a crown?"

Snow smiles, knowing how long Emma has waited for this moment. Snow had promised to give Emma her first tiara for her first ball.

"I haven't forgotten," Snow says. She goes to her purse and pulls out the satin-lined box. Emma immediately hurries over. Snow hands it to her warning, "Be careful. This has been in the family for ages."

Emma opens the box and her jaw drops at the sight of the tiny tiara. Snow sees her daughter's eyes fill with wonder, and with a rush of pride, thinks of her own first ball, so many years ago.

Emma hands her the box. "Can you help me put it on, please?"

Snow smiles. "I'd love to."

_iv._

_You never got to do any of it. We never got to be a family._

"I'm going to count to ten," Charming tells her. "And you go hide. Then I will find you."

"Anywhere?" Emma asks.

"No – not anywhere. Just this wing of the castle. Understand?"

From the couch, Snow looks up from her book in time to see Emma racing off to another room. Charming catches her eye and winks. "One. Two."

Snow can still hear Emma's footsteps as she scurries to find a hiding place. "Three. Four. Five."

The scurrying stops.

"Six – seven – eight – nine – ten. Ready or not, here I come!"

Snow can hear him moving through the wing calling out, "Where are you, Emma? I will find you, wherever you are! I will find you!"

Snow smiles to herself, thinking back on all the times Charming said those words to her.

A few minutes later, she hears Emma shriek and knows Charming must have located her hiding spot at last. Charming returns soon, a squirming Emma in his arms.

"Told you I would find you," he says as he deposits Emma next to Snow on the couch.

"Dad!" Emma protests. "You weren't supposed to find me. That was a really good spot!"

Charming sits next to Emma and pulls her back into his arms. "It doesn't matter how good your hiding place is," he tells her. Charming looks up and Snow meets his gaze. "I will always find you."

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**A/N:** Heeee I just couldn't resist. I hope you enjoyed it. Please leave me a review and tell me what you thought! For all of you out there waiting for Safe and Sound, an update is coming, I promise.


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